The Traitor Queen
by snheetah
Summary: Against her will, an Egyptian princess is sworn a hand in marriage to the young prince Ahkmenrah. The two develop feelings for one another and fall in love, or so Ahkmenrah thinks, but when tragedy strikes upon the young prince, the princess is left to question about his mysterious death, until she comes face to face with the culprit...and herself. Past/Present
1. Chapter 1

**I**** don't own Night at the Museum**

**Hey everybody! So I recently saw 'Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian' and truth be told, I honestly adored Hank Azaria and his portrayal of Kahmunrah. "DON'T CROTH THITH LINE!...IF YOU THPEAK AGAIN, IF YOU THPEAK AGAIN...!...OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE IT YOU REACHED FOR THE TABLET AND YOU THPOKE...!" That man is a genius! ****Oh and let's not forget Ben Stiller and Robin Williams himself (may he rest in peace). Anyway, this is my first NATM fanfic and I hope you guys like it.**

**Also I don't know how old Ahkmenrah was in the movie, I tried to find it but I got nothing, so I just put an age to what I think he was. I think I'm wrong but, oh well.**

**P.S. If I am off by historical facts or characters please let me know, I love getting reviews and constructive criticism**

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Her delicate hands slowly curled into fists as she stood in front of her parents. Jaw tightening, she tried to control all of the anger that was building up inside of her. "Neferet," she looked up at the Egyptian pharaoh, also her father and gave her a serious look. "Did you not comprehend what I said?"

Neferet raised her chin and inch in the air and looked at her father. "Yes father," she answered him, then swallowed before she continued. "An arranged marriage."

Her father stood up from his throne and slowly made his way towards her daughter. He placed his hand on the back of her head and planted a kiss onto her forehead. Her daughter was twenty years old and he felt that she should have been married a long time ago. He remembered the times that they had bought various princes into the castle and she had rejected each and every single one of them. Now it was up to him to arrange a marriage and this time, he felt that he had chosen the correct prince for her.

Once he pulled his lips away from her forehead, Neferet smiled at her father. "I will be in my chamber," she said, not even curious to ask who her future husband was. Once she arrived into her chamber, she dismissed her servants, wishing to be alone in her thoughts. Why would her father do something like this to her? Ever since her mother's passing, he had wanted to give her hand in marriage to an Egyptian prince. Then again, her father was not in his best health but she wished that he saw that she had potential in ruling a kingdom.

Suddenly, something soft rubbed against her legs and she looked to the ground. A gray Egyptian Mau with black markings purred against her legs and then hopped onto her lap. Neferet picked up her cat and looked at it right in the eyes. "You are lucky to be a cat and not an Egyptian princess like me," she spoke as if the cat had the ability to understand her.

The cat's response was only a tilt of the head revealing a golden statue across the room. Neferet smiled as she placed her cat to the ground and approached the statue. She slowly sank to her knees as she sent a silent prayer to the Goddess Bast, to give her strength and power to get through this arranged marriage, to make her different life the best as she possibly could.

Her prayer was answered by her pet cat rubbing its head against her. She took it as a sign that the Goddess was willing to watch over her and with that, she felt a little protection. Giving the Goddess Bast a silent thank you, she placed her hand upon the cat's head and scratched it. This silent moment did not last long as one of the servants opened the door to her chambers and called her.

"Your Highness," the servant walked in and looked at Neferet, who avoided looking at her. "The pharaoh has asked for you."

"Wish me luck," Neferet kissed her cat and got up to her feet. She walked past the servant and to the throne room where her father sat. Neferet noticed that he was reading a message that was written on papyrus and it made her curious to know what the contents of the message were. "Yes father?" she said and he looked up at her.

The pharaoh stood up from his throne and walked over to his daughter once more. In a hushed voice, he spoke to her. "I just received a message from King Merenkahre."

Another jolt of anger rose inside of her but she tried her best to console it. _So he wrote to another pharaoh about arranging a marriage with his son without consulting with me first_? This was not typical of her father to do such a thing. "Yes?" she motioned for him to continue, hoping that King Merenkahre had rejected about this arranged marriage.

However, her father's delighted smile said otherwise, much to her disappointment. "He would be honored to have his youngest son married with you."

"Youngest son?" Neferet almost raised a dark eyebrow at her father.

"Yes he has two sons but the youngest one has the ability to inherit the throne," her father explained to her. Neferet was confused about this. Wasn't the oldest son supposed to inherit the throne first and if something were to happen to the oldest, wouldn't the next one in line inherit it?

"How old is the son?" Neferet asked.

"About eighteen years of age," her father answered.

Neferet was about to hit her head with her hand. _Eighteen_?! "Are you serious father?" her voice rose as she spoke, "eighteen? He's too young for me!"

"Neferet please," her father softly spoke but she interrupted him.

"No, no, how can you do this to me?" she frantically yelled and placed her hands on her head. "He's too young for me! Two years of age, I cannot have a husband who is younger than me. I cannot...no, I will not do this!"

"That's enough!" her father snapped and she looked at him in surprise. He had never looked so angry with her before. "I did this for you!" he pointed his index finger at her and she swore that she saw it shook. "If it wasn't for King Merenkahre to offer you his son, I don't know what I would have done. I don't know how much life I have in me left, but I want someone to take care of you when I am gone, and I am glad to see how much you are appreciating my efforts to do what is best for you."

Neferet suddenly felt tears welling up into her eyes. She quickly batted her eyes to keep the tears from spilling. She knew about her father's deteriorating health but she always assumed that he was only forcing her to marry just to give her away, not because he was doing what was best for her.

Angry, her father turned his back to her and placed his hands on the table that stood next to him, "tomorrow," he hoarsely said, "we will go to King Merenkahre and you will meet his son and be married to him. You may go now."

Taking a deep breath, Neferet turned her back on her father and walked out of the throne room. She walked past the hallways and the servants until she walked into the room, closed the door, and weeped in silence.


	2. Chapter 2

**I**** don't own Night at the Museum**

**Okay guys, so I tried to find a place where Ahkmenrah and his family would live, again I did not get the proper location, so I decided to put them in Cairo. **

**EgyptianAngel: *cross the line with my hand* Haha, sorry couldn't resist. It's my favorite part of the movie too and it never gets old. Thank you very much for the review :)**

**Izzylizzy26: Thank you very much for your review. I am very glad that you enjoyed the first chapter and I hope you enjoy the rest :)**

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"Your Highness," a soft voice brushed against her ear. Her dark skin prickled when a hand gently grabbed her arms. With a small gasp, she opened her eyes and turned to her side to see who it was. At first she expected it to be one of her servants waking her up but to her surprise, the voice that had gently brushed against her ear and the hand that had touched her belonged to a man.

As quick as lightning, she grabbed the linen sheets that she slept with and ran to the opposite side of the room, away from this mysterious man. He sensed her distress from the dilation of her pupils and the quickening of her breath. "Oh, looks like I have scared the little kitten," he said and straightened himself to his feet and slowly approached her.

Neferet gave him a glare when he stated that remark. _Little kitten_? What was she, a child? Neferet took a deep breath and squeezed the linen sheets into her grasp. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" she demanded to know. From the decorated outfit that he was wearing to the crown on his head, that concluded that he was from a wealthy family, let alone a pharaoh.

He smiled at her question and approached her. The tips of his fingers lingered under her chin as he tipped her chin to make her look at him in the eyes. "You shall find out sooner or later."

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"Your highness."

Neferet jolted awake and with wide eyes, she looked at the person that had woken her from her slumber. Right beside her was her servant, looking as bewildered as she was.

"I am sorry princess," the servant knelt to her knees as if Neferet was going to beat her for it, "but your father sent me to wake you," she lifted her head from the ground and looked at Neferet. "He insists that you get ready for your journey."

Neferet rubbed her eyes with her hands to wear off the extra sleep that threatened to put her back to bed. She swung her feet to the side of her bed until her naked feet made contact with the cold floor. "Are you aware of how long the journey is?" she asked the servant, but only got a head shake in return.

"I'm sorry your highness," the servant said, "but His Highness wanted me to wake you before dawn might mean that there will be a long journey ahead of you. All I know is that your future husband resides in Cairo."

It was not even dawn yet? Neferet closed her eyes and ran a hand through her dark coarse hair. She _hated _being woken up before sunrise and that fact that she had to travel for almost two days from Alexandria to Cairo. "Don't," she heard her own voice echo throughout the room, "call him...my future husband." She noticed her servant slowly raising her eyes and looking at her with a frightened look. Neferet did not take pride in yelling at her servants but this was something that no one deserved to say to her.

"I-" the servant was about to apologize but was interrupted to Neferet's sudden outburst.

"How would you feel if you did not have the privilege to voice your own opinion on marriage towards your father?" she asked the servant as if she had an answer to her question.

The servant slowly shook her head and Neferet could see that she had frightened the young girl. Quickly collecting her feelings and thoughts, Neferet held out her hand in front of her servant and helped her to her feet. "My apologies for hissing at you like that," she apologized to the servant, "but you have no idea how hard this is for me."

Her servant grabbed both of Neferet's hands and squeezed them. "No I do," she told her. This time, Neferet looked at her questioningly in the eyes. Sensing her confusion, the servant gave her a meek smile and continued. "A long time ago, when I was young, my parents arranged a marriage for me," her eyes made their way down to Neferet's hands and that she had gripped onto, "however, I ran away from home. I wanted to avoid this arranged marriage. My parents never found me. I was alone, starving, almost close to death. If it wasn't for your mother and father to take me in, I would probably be dead."

Neferet looked down to the ground and said, "I am so sorry Kiya. I had no idea it."

Her servant, Kiya, smiled placed the tips of her fingers under Neferet's chin and looked at her in the eyes. "It was not your fault dear. What I am trying to say is, your parents are careful about the choices that they make and they want the best for everyone. I see how your father treats me and the others servants and I deeply appreciate him for his hospitality. He also wants the best for you as well."

"But," Neferet slowly shook her head to Kiya, "if he wants the best for me, then he should have asked me about being married. I mean, he is eighteen and I am twenty. I don't know what I am supposed to do as wife."

"It will all come to you," Kiya told her, "as long as you pray to Goddess Bast. She will assist you in being the proper wife to your husband and he is going to love you dearly."

_I hope you are right _Neferet thought.

"What I do know is that your father made this decision because he knows its right for you. He knows that this young prince will be perfect for you and in the later years to come," Kiya said and gave Neferet a comforting smile, which made the young princess smile back in return. "Come now," Kiya said and took Neferet by the hand, "let's get you washed up and refreshed."

Neferet obliged to her servant's request and followed after her. She felt her pet cat rubbing against her naked legs as the princess was escorted to the bathing room. She placed her feet upon the cool blue water and allowed her servant to wash her as she relaxed into the welcoming waves of the water. As she relaxed, she thought back about the dream that she had been woken form a while ago.

Who was that man that had appeared in her dreams? Truth be told, she couldn't even remember how he looked like anymore but she remembered was by the way that he teased her and how he stood, showed that he had potential and dominance. If this was a sign from the Gods, revealing who her husband was, then she didn't know what to think.

"You are all set Your Highness," Kiya said and wrapped Neferet in a linen towel. "Now," she said with a smile, "time to make you beautiful for your prince." She led Neferet to the steps of the bathing room and applied essential oils to her body to make them smooth and appealing to the touch. After the oil soaked into her skin, Kiya then placed a white kalasiris onto Neferet that hugged around her body.

"One more thing," Kiya said as she reached to the ground and held onto a linen cloth. She opened the linen cloth and it revealed a golden headdress with a golden serpent sticking out. She took the headdress in her hands and gently placed it upon Neferet's head. "Now you are ready."

"What about the make up?" Neferet asked her.

"You will be traveling for long hours. I will be traveling with you. When we arrive to Cairo, I will take care of you and the make up. Now you better hurry, you're father has been expected you," Kiya said.

Neferet got to her feet, picked up her cat, and walked out of the bathing room. As she walked through the halls of her father's pyramid, she felt herself getting more nervous to go to Cairo. What if he did not accept her? What if he took one look at her and then just tossed her out? Would she wind up as a servant, like Kiya.

She closed her eyes and held her cat tightly against her chest, sending another silent prayer to her Goddess.

"Rrowr," the cat softly mewed and squirmed out of her arms. The cat softly landed to the ground on its four paws and turned to look at the princess, who continued to quietly pray to the Goddess. Then, she opened her eyes and looked deeply into the cat's striking green eyes.

"I can do this," Neferet whispered to the cat as she picked it up and gave it a kiss on the head, "I am going to show him who I am and he is going to love me."

On that note, the princess walked down the halls until she came in contact with her father.


	3. Chapter 3

**I**** don't own Night at the Museum**

**Again, if I am off by facts (even just a tad) PLEASE LET ME KNOW! **

**EgyptianAngel: Hey! Thank you so much for the review. It could have been Ahkmenrah, but then again, it could have been someone else :D**

**Izzylizzy26: Thank you so much for the review! Aww, that's very kind of you, but truthfully there is no secret to good writing. All you gotta do is practice! :D**

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In the city of Cairo, a bright blanket of sunlight spread through the monuments and the light sand. This glorious city was ruled by a powerful, yet respected Egyptian pharaoh. During his rule, the citizens of Cairo have been living in peace and harmony. With his wealth, he had managed to restore the towns in Cairo to their former glory after battling against the Hyskos. The towns had been obliterated but if it wasn't for King Merenkahre and his care for his people, the citizens didn't even know how they would survive if it wash't for their pharaoh.

King Merenkahre was married to a beautiful Egyptian woman, Queen Shepseheret, and they had been blessed with two sons. Before, King Merenkahre was conflicted between which of his sons should be able to inherit the throne. He was aware of the fact that the oldest one in the family was given the priority but he felt that if he did that, he would have made the wrong choice for his people. He loved his oldest son just as much as he loved his youngest, but as time passed, he noticed how greedy and stubborn and cold his oldest son came to be.

As for the youngest, he could see how humble and honest and sweet he was with others. To him, that showed the true qualities of being a king. He hated having to choose between his sons but he felt that choosing his youngest was the wisest decision that he ever made. However, since his youngest was to inherit the throne it was reasonable to get him a wife. With the help of his queen, he had been searching for the perfect Egyptian princess to be with his son but to his luck, he had found nobody. Until his wife had reminded him of someone.

"My king," Queen Shepseheret told him one night, "did you mention that King Mahu had a daughter?"

King Mahu was the king of Alexandria and he fought alongside King Merenkahre while the battled the Hyskos. Mahu had been severely injured but Merenkahre had been there to save his life. Mahu had thanked him for his savior and offered to marry his daughter to one of his sons.

King Merenkahre did not have much knowledge of how King Mahu's daughter looked like but from what he had heard, he believed that she was perfect for his youngest son. When the pharaoh had told his son about this woman, he was anything but happy about the news.

"Ahkmenrah," King Merenkahre had spoke to his son just as when he was about to leave the throne room. The young Egyptian prince turned around and looked at his father in the eyes. His father approached him and placed his hands softly upon his son's shoulders, "your mother and I have been trying hard to find you a suitable wife once you inherit the throne."

At that moment, Ahkemrah felt terrible for almost storming out of the room. He knew that his parents wanted the best for him and he appreciated everything that they had done for him. However, he didn't feel that he was ready to have a wife just yet. He felt like he couldn't argue with his father but he hoped that with his new wife, he would be able to just get along with her.

"No father I understand," Ahkmenrah replied to his father with a small smile, "but what concerns me is my relationship with her. I can't just love her, I need to feel it. I also don't want her to feel uncomfortable with me if she doesn't feel that same way."

This was a subject that King Merenkahre did not have much expertise in. He turned to his queen and held out his arm towards her, motioning her to approach them. The queen obliged to his command and walked over to Ahkmenrah. With a smile, she took his hands in hers and looked at the pharaoh. Merenkahre gave her a nod of his head and the queen and young prince walked out of the throne room.

Ahkmenrah had not expected his mother to gently take him out of the room so he looked at her expectedly. "Mother?" he spoke before the queen had the chance to say anything to him.

"Let me tell you a little story," Queen Shepseheret looked at her son and gave him another smile, "you are the first I have told this to. I was much younger than you when I was offered a hand in marriage to your father. At first, I was not happy to be married with him."

His mother had not been happy before? Ahkmenrah was shocked to have heard this. Every day when he passed by his parents, he saw how happy they were with one another and he thought that they had been happy ever since they laid eyes upon one another. "You were not?" he asked, "but you seem so happy with father."

"Oh I am," his mother replied, "it took time for your father and I to get used to one another but as time went by, we realized how much we adored one another."

He knew what his mother was saying. It was best to give someone a chance than just misjudging them. He took his mother's hand and his and kissed it gently. "Are you sure that she will like me?"

The queen smiled at her son once more. "You have a big kind heart Ahkmenrah, just like your father. His warmth and kindness was what won me over. As long as you show her who you are, she will defiantly love you."

Ahkmenrah gave his mother a smile as she leaned close and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Giving him one last look, she turned on her heel and walked back to the throne room where her husband was.

"Well that wath a very interethting converthation," a voice spoke behind Ahkmenrah, making him jump to his feet and turn around. His heart rate slowly relaxed when he noticed his older brother, Kahmunrah, leaning against the wall with his muscular arms folded against his chest. Sometimes, Ahkmenrah did not understand why his brother chose to lurk in the shadows and appear just to frighten him. Let alone, what was with the lisp?

"Hello brother," Ahkmenrah greeted him with the smile that he could muster. Before, the two of them had been so close with one another, but ever since he was chosen to become king, they had drifted apart. Ahkmenrah had tried to reconcile with him but his brother just pushed him away and he hated that. After countless tries, Ahkmenrah just gave up. He still respected his brother but he didn't hold the same respect he had for him as before.

"Tho," Kahmunrah began, "I heard that your wife will be coming thortly."

"That is correct," Ahkmenrah told him.

"Jutht thome adithe," his older brother said, "you betht be on the lookout, ethpecially for a girl like her."

Ahkmenrah cocked his head to the side and gave his brother a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, the ith young, a woman," his brother counted off, "you never know if the will, betray you."

Ahkmenrah took a deep breath and slightly raised his head in the air. "I will make sure that does not happen." Then again, why would his wife betray him? Never had he any encounters of wives betraying their husbands, unless it was from the peasants in the towns. He knew that his older brother was just bluffing and making him feel more nervous than he felt before. Though, he hoped that his future wife wouldn't betray him.

Playing along, Ahkmenrah gave his brother another smile and said, "then again, thank you for looking out for me." With that, he walked away from Kahmunrah leaving him there leaning against the wall.

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**Me: For the love of Egyptian gods, Kahmunrah's lines were so annoying to write. *spears are pressed against my throat from the Egyptian's guards* Oh for God's sake...LARRY!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I**** don't own Night at the Museum**

**EgyptianAngel: Hey! Thank you very much for the review! Truth be told, it was absolutely annoying writing his speech like that, so I will write it in a normal fashion :D. Thank you for the advice!**

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_She might betray you _his brother's words continued to play into his Ahkmenrah's mind. He let out a small scoff followed by a smile at his older brother's attitude towards his own betrothal to the princess of Alexandria. No words of encouragement, no 'I congratulate you,' nor 'I hope the best for you in the years to come.' He ran his hands over his face and through his eyes when he felt tears beginning to sting them. Ahkmenrah knew very well that he shouldn't let his brother's jealousy influence upon him but he felt at fault. Sometimes he wished that he wasn't even born into this family just so that his brother wouldn't envy him so much. It was that source of human nature that Ahkmenrah believed made them drift apart. He leaned his back against a wall and went into deep thought. The thought of becoming a pharaoh in the later future frightened him. It wasn't because he was naive for he had the knowledge of the political conflicts that happened in his country. It was the thought of making the right choice and making his people happy. What if he made the right decision and they were not happy? What was he to do then?

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" a voice suddenly broke him from his thoughts. Surprised, quickly turned his head to the left and noticed a young girl walking towards him. He smiled when he saw his childhood friend making her way towards him.

"It's good to see you Zhara," Ahkmenrah smiled when she approached him. She had light tanned skin, big brown eyes lined with kohl, dark hair, and in Ahkmenrah's view she seemed like the most beautiful girl in the whole kingdom. She was two years younger than him and he found it sort of strange how she came to be. Apparently, Zhara's mother who served his mother had fallen in love with one of the soldiers who fought alongside his father.

Zhara gave him a smile, "so word has been going around the palace that your bride-to-be will be arriving."

"The rumor is true," Ahkmenrah told her.

"And how do you feel?" she asked him.

He swallowed and looked at her in the eyes, "truth or lie?" he asked with a mischievous smile, making Zhara give him a light smack on the arm. He chuckled and said, "in all honesty Zhara, I am a little bit scared. I don't even know this princess at all. I don't know how she looks likes, how she acts. I would rather just marry someone that I know."

Zhara crossed her arms over her chest and nodded her head to him. "Me too," she agreed and leaned against the wall, "but what can you do right now? I am sure she is going to love you."

Ahkmenrah let out a small laughter, "are you saying that just to make me feel better?"

"Yes," Zhara quickly answered and chuckled, "but she ought to be fortunate to be married to you," she said and he turned his head to look at her, "you are a wonderful person Ahkmenrah and I know that you are going to become a wonderful pharaoh in the future." She paused for a moment and gave him a mischievous smile, "and if she doesn't treat you right, I will show her how kind I can be," she added in a whisper.

Ahkmenrah laughed when she said that, "yeah because you can easily pick up a khopesh and swing it around. You wouldn't even hurt a fly Zhara, what are you talking about?"

Zhara turned her head and looked at him and she noticed that their lips were a couple of inches away from being touched. She looked in his eyes and slightly bit her lip. It had been a while since they had a time alone with one another. Ever since Ahkmenrah was chosen to become a pharaoh, she had barely had the chance to spend some time with him and since this was their moment, she didn't want to waste it. "You'd be surprised what I can do," she said and pulled herself away from him.

_So close _Ahkmenrah thought. He knew that kissing another girl before he got married was inappropriate but he had grown up with Zhara and the more he knew her, the more he liked her. _Why couldn't it be_ _her_? Ahkmenrah thought and turned his head to look at her again. When he did that, Zhara gave him a confused look and pulled herself away from him.

"I-I'm sorry that I keep staring," he apologized but she only gave him a smile in return.

"That's okay, we have not had the chance to be together for a while now and you probably forgot how I look like," she smirked causing Ahkmenrah to mentally face palm. Then again, he did not want to kiss her just this one moment and then marry a different woman. If he were to kiss her, he was going to marry her too. "But, if you wish to give me a kiss..." she looked at him and almost giggled when she saw the look of shock on his face, "you can give one to me right here," she tapped her cheek with her finger.

_I would prefer your lips but it will have to do _Ahkmenrah though. He leaned close to her and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. A cold shiver ran down Zhara's spine when he did that but she quickly recovered from the shiver. She pushed herself close to him as his lips lingered on her cheek.

"Well, well, well," a voice suddenly made both Ahkmenrah and Zhara jump in their place.

Zhara's jaw clenched when she saw Ahkmenrah's older brother staring at them with an amused look. He had never seemed to amuse her with his immoral behavior, his despicable attitude, and let alone his envious personality, let alone the way he spoke which she found it to be completely exasperating.

"I did not know that you sneaked away with the servant's daughter," Kahmunrah sneered as he looked at Zhara, "that is very below, even for you Ahkmenrah," he said to his brother which made him look at the ground.

"It's alright Ahkmenrah, don't listen to him," Zhara told him, "he's just jealous because he will never be the pharaoh you are."

When she said that, Kahmunrah clenched his hand into a fist and tightened his jaw. "I advise you to watch that sassy tongue of yours. It could get chopped off one day."

"Great," Zhara said, "and I advise you to learn how to sound your words properly because you just sound ridiculous." She said with a smirk and noticed a twitch in his right eye. "That's right, so why don't you just walk away and hide into your room like you always do."

Kahmunrah took a deep breath and tried to control his anger the best that he could. How he wished he could lash out at this peasant and show her to whom she was talking to. He turned his eyes and looked at Ahkmenrah, "tell your friend to watch her manners."

"Or what?" Zhara jumped in as if he was speaking with her, "you will throw me and my family out of here, you wish."

"Zhara," Ahkmenrah said and she could see in his eyes that he begged for her to stop talking but she couldn't, she loved to make Kahmunrah angry and see how he reacted to her.

Kahmunrah gave her a smirk, "why thank you for the idea for I can do that. I can take you, your mother, and your father away from this palace and leave your bodies to rot in the sands of Egypt."

"It's 'sands' not 'thandths,'" Zhara corrected his speech with irritation, "learn to speak for once. I bet if you were a pharaoh people would just laugh at you, the way you speak, and your stupidity."

Having had enough of her attitude, Kahmunrah backhanded her across the face. Ahkmenrah gasped and Zhara yelped as she staggered a couple of inches away from him. Kahmunrah looked at her as she clenched her cheek and pushed her out of his way. Ahkmenrah immediately wrapped his arms around Zhara and watched his brother disappearing into the halls. He pulled away from Zhara and looked at her, "are you alright?"

Zhara's lips twitched into a smile but he could hear quivering in her voice, "of course I am fine. He can never do anything to me." But she didn't feel fine. She felt hurt and offended.

"You shouldn't have spoken to him like that. You know how he is," Ahkmenrah told her, "oh my God that's really red," he commented on the red mark that was formed on her cheek that he had kissed a few moments ago.

Zhara shook it away, "don't worry about it," she assured him, "it was quite a sting though," she slowly ran the back of her hand on her cheek. She felt tears beginning to sting her eyes and she pulled away from Ahkmenrah, "I have to go and do something," she said and quickly walked away from him, leaving him alone in the hall.


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Night at the Museum**

**EgyptianAngel: Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad that you like Zhara, however, she should be a little careful especially with Kahmunrah. Hope you enjoy this chapter :D**

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Neferet's mouth opened as she let out a yawn and stretched her arms over her. They had been traveling for long hours and she was already feeling bored of such a long ride. She turned her head and looked at her cat that was curled next to her. Ever since the journey had started, her cat had been sleeping and Neferet wished she had the tendency to sleep as much as her cat did. She scratched her cat's head and noticed his ears flicker once her hand made contact with the light gray fur.

"Are you feeling alright my princess?" her servant, Kiya, asked when she sensed a sort of distress to Her Highness.

Neferet chuckled when her servant, the one that she had grown up with, used the word "princess." "Kiya come on," she said and gave her servant a look, "you have known me for a long time. You can just call be by my name."

"It would not sound appropriate," Kiya gave her a smile, "how are you feeling?"

"Bored," Neferet immediately answered.

"Aside from that," Kiya gave her a parental like look that Neferet had never seen her use before.

Neferet let out a sigh and peeked outside from the cart that they were being carried in. There was nothing but sands and sunlight but to Neferet's view, a sandstorm would have been a perfect highlight of this whole trip. "I am really..." she shook her head and gave Kiya a shrug, "dumbfounded. Why do I get the feeling that my father is just throwing me away?"

Kiya put down the linen cloth that was stitching and looked at Neferet. "You need to understand, he is not throwing you away. Your father is good man and an excellent king and he just wants the best for you. You, of all people, should know that."

Neferet felt a sense of irritation making its way through her emotions. Her gritted her teeth and gave her servant a glare which, to her luck, she did not take a notice of. It wasn't the point that she did not understand what her father was doing. On the contrary, she knew he was doing it because he wanted the best for her and someone to take care of her due to his health but she didn't feel that her father's actions were a source of gratitude. "I do know that," Neferet told her, "but he doesn't know how I feel about the situation."

"The prince of Cairo is going to love you," Kiya tried to push that thought into Neferet's mind that it made her want to scream.

She clenched her hands into fists and slowly put them on her lap, "you don't know that. I don't know that! I don't even know what his personality is like. The only person who knows about him is my father and he won't tell me a thing." Before they had left for their journey, Neferet felt this rush of confidence traveling through her when she told herself that she was able to do this. However, after thinking so much about the situation, she didn't know if she could do it anymore.

Kiya opened her mouth to say something but Neferet held out her hand before she could say anything. "It's fine Kiya," the princess said dismissively, "I have no voice in this situation whatsoever. No one cares, especially my father!"

If looks could kill, Kiya thought that she would have been dead by now. The princess's pupils were slit and she looked at her like a wildcat. She needed to be as relaxed as she possibly could throughout this journey and at this moment, she was anything but relaxed. She held her hands out in front of her and grabbed Neferet's hands. "You have to be relaxed. You will get those lines that form under your eyes when you become stressed."

Neferet broke free from her servant's touch and leaned back against her seat. "There you go again," she shook her head and gave her a small laugh, "caring about my marriage except for me." She shook her head and looked away from her, letting out another scoff.

She felt her cat fidgeting and then rolled on its side. The cat stretched and then jumped on Neferet's lap. As if the cat could sense her distress, he placed a soft paw on her cheek and looked at her with green striking eyes. Neferet looked down at her cat and gave him a smile. She held him up at eye's length and gave him a smile, "you're the only one that understands me Kha," she said before she gave her cat a kiss on the head.

* * *

Ahkmenrah had the nerve to run after Zhara after what his brother had done but something prevented him from going to her. He ran his hands through his face after that mini drama that took place between the two of them and his brother. How dare he? When that scene replayed in his mind, he grew angry. He wished he had the power to do something just as drastic to his brother but he couldn't. He had a conscience that told him it was not wise.

_Go after her_ a voice spoke in his mind and as if a force pushed him, his feet lifted from the ground and he ran after his friend. As he ran through the halls of the palace and looked in every room that he came in contact with. She was nowhere to be seen. He turned around to go and search into any of the other room until he made contact with someone that was standing right behind him with a golden goblet in his hand.

With a startled gasp, Ahkmenrah jumped a couple of inches away from his brother to whom he had just bumped into. "Would you please stop doing that?" Ahkmenrah told him.

"Doing what?" Kahmunrah shrugged his shoulders.

"For the love of Ra, sneaking and scaring the living sunlights out of me," Ahkmenrah told him.

Kahmunrah gave him a smirk which in Ahkmenrah's view looked very menacing. "Why not baby brother?" he shrugged his shoulders again, "it is quite fun."

_Act your age for once _Ahkmenrah thought and mentally shook his head. He was almost twenty-seven for Ra's sake and he acted like he was seventeen. "I'm sure it is," the young prince agreed, hoping to avoid any sort of argument that was to happen between the two of them. He had the urge to yell at his brother for hurting Zhara but at the moment, he did not wish to open that sort of discussion.

"So might I ask why you are roaming about the palace?" his brother asked and began to walk around him in a circle, "surely you are not going after that peasant."

Ahkmenrah took a deep breath and tried to control the anger that was boiling in his blood. "She is not a peasant," he said but he noticed his voice beginning to shake, "and no," he lied, "I was just going to head to my room."

His brother slowly nodded his head but Kahmunrah knew that his brother was bluffing. _Sure you were going to your room but I know what you are up to _he thought but decided to let it pass. "Drink?" he asked as he held the golden goblet in front of his brother.

Ahkmenrah looked at it and said, "no thank you."

"Just red wine, you are going to need it. Especially when the princess of Alexandria arrives," Kahmunrah told him.

"Why do you think I need to drink wine when she comes here? Everything will be fine," Ahkmenrah assured his brother, but mostly himself. The mention of her arrival made him so nervous he did not know what to do.

Kahmunrah gave his brother another smirk, "I should consider myself lucky not to be in your situation. A girl like her requires plenty of structure and...oh what's the word...ooh yes, discipline."

"You don't know her and neither do I," Ahkmenrah told him, "I believe she is a very wonderful princess otherwise mother and father wouldn't have picked her for me."

_Me, me, me, I, I,I! It always has to be about the precious, favorite, and perfect little Ahkmenrah. Why didn't they choose a queen for me? Aren't I worthy enough to have a queen?! _his blood boiled when he thought of his parent's ignorance. They acted as if he did not exist anymore and that pained him.

"And what discipline?" Ahkmenrah's voice broke him from his thoughts, "she must have a mature upbringing."

"Say what you want dear brother but she is a princess and hence, she wants to be treated like one. Therefore, she just wants to take everything and have everything from you. Not only you, but from mother and father, and let's just say everything that this palace offers to her," his brother told him but Ahkmenrah ignored his brother's words. What he was going to do with her was his business and his plan on dealing with her was to treat her right.

"Thank you for your concern," Ahkmenrah told him, "but I can take of her myself."

"Good luck then," Kahmunrah told him with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "you are going to need a whole lot of luck to get you through this marriage."

"Again," Ahkmenrah told him with an exasperated tone of voice, "you don't know her and nor do I so it is not wise to judge." He felt like he was lecturing a three year old but then again, he needed to convince himself that everything was going to be fine. He did not understand why he felt so nervous. Surely if the princess was coming, that meant that she truly wanted to get married right?

Kahmunrah took a sip of the red wine in the goblet and looked ahead of him. "Oh look who's back," he said and she Ahkmenrah turned around he came face to face with Zhara.

"There you are," he said before Kahmunrah and Zhara went into another brawl with one another. He ran up her and grabbed her hands in his, "I have been looking all over for you, are you alright?"

"Just dandy," she assured him with a smile. When she looked up and saw Kahmunrah standing there looking at them, her smile faltered and she broke free from Ahkmenrah and scurried down the hall.

Kahmunrah scoffed at her reaction and took another sip of his wine. "You need to apologize to her," Ahkmenrah told him, "you really hurt her."

"I shall apologize the moment I want to apologize," his brother stubbornly answered him.

"Then in that case, stay away from her," Ahkmenrah said and with that, he turned his back on his brother and headed after Zhara.

That is...if he could find her.


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own Night at the Museum**

**I'm gonna go on a time leap here because writing about Neferet's travels and her constant whining can get a little bit exasperating. **

**EgyptianAngel: Thank you so much for the review! There's gonna be a lot more tension between the two brothers as well as for Neferet and Zhara. Hope you enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

After two long night of traveling, Neferet and her father finally arrived to Cario. The young princess was finally relieved to have arrived and was glad that she was not going to be stuck in a carriage with her servant giving her constant lectures. She felt her carriage grinding to a halt and suddenly, she felt butterflies in her stomach. She closed her eyes and took a long deep breath to control her emotions, fearing that if she did not, her knees would buckle and she would fall on the sand and make a complete fool out of herself.

After Kiya had put on the makeup of Neferet's eyes, lips, and cheeks, the princess picked up her cat and looked at him. "We finally made it Kha," she said to him as the cat looked at her.

Kiya's smile faltered when she looked at the cat. She forgot to mention to her princess that she was not allowed to have her cat with her, especially at her new home. "Your Highness," she said to Neferet and noticed the dark look that the princess gave her. She hesitated to speak but finally said, "I am sorry but you are not allowed to take the cat with you."

Neferet's eyes grew wide and she held her cat tightly against her chest. As if the cat felt her distress, he attached his claws on her linen dress and clung onto it. "Why?" Neferet asked her.

"The king and queen of Cairo will provide you with many gifts," Kiya told her, "to get you accustomed to your new kingdom."

"They can give me all the riches that they have but they will not Kha away from," she snapped at Kiya, "don't you dare come close," she hissed through gritted teeth when her servant got up to take her cat away.

Kiya stopped in her steps and froze with her hands reached out in front of the cat. She slowly pulled back her arms and let out a sigh. "Your Highness, I do not like the way you are acting. It is widely inappropriate, especially when we are right to the king's palace."

Neferet ignored her and did not speak a word. She looked away and pulled back the curtain that hid her within the cart. Once she pulled it back, a ray of sunshine hit her face, immediately making her squint. At the entrance of the palace, she noticed four figures that were witnessing the visitors that had stopped by. Neferet pulled her hand away from the curtain and hid herself within the cart. _Just great _she thought. _I am going to be thrown into marriage with someone that I don't even know _she angrily thought as all of her confidence had left her.

Then, the curtain from her cart was pulled as her father peeked inside and smiled at her. "It is time," he said and held out his hand in front of her.

Neferet stared at his hand for a slight second. She knew she had no choice in this situation so she placed her hand on his, while holding her cat with the other, as he helped her out of the cart. "I thought I told Kiya to leave the cat in the cart."

"Do not start," Neferet stubbornly told him, "I am keeping Kha with me whether you or the others like it or not. He is a part of me and the place where I grew up and I am not letting him go."

The cat felt himself being pushed against her and he let out a pained mewl. King Mahu let out a frustrated sigh. He did not know how he was going to deal with his daughter at this sort of situation but his daughter was a lucky to have been betrothed to such a nice family. King Merenkahre was a very reasonable and kind man. "Fine," he simply said to said her, "at least try to look a little bit more cheerful about this marriage."

_Never _Neferet thought but avoided voicing her opinion out lout. She knew that her father was growing restless with her attitude but she did not care at the moment. She looked ahead at the four figures that were waiting for them and when her father took his first step, so did she.

* * *

"Oh here they come," Queen Shepseheret smiled when she saw the two distant figures approaching him. She gently placed her hands on Ahkmenrah's shoulders and pulled him closer to her. "How are you feeling sweetheart?" she asked him.

The corner of Ahkmenrah's lips twitched when she asked him that question. At the moment, he felt like disappearing into the castle. He couldn't believe that he was going to come face to face with a stranger. Let alone a stranger that was going to be his wife. He slowly shook his head as his eyes were glued at the two approaching figures. "I can't do this," he whispered.

He heard Kahmunrah let out a chuckle when he said that. "Already experiencing cold feet baby brother?" he smirked at him.

"Kahmunrah," his mother said with a warning tone in her voice. She looked back at Ahkmenrah and her hands squeezed the tips of his shoulders, "everything will be fine. The first encounter is always the most intimidating but by tomorrow, you two will be in love with each other."

Kahmunrah rolled his eyes at his mother's speech. That was not how it worked in his own opinion. If he was in Ahkmenrah's place (which he was dying for), he would be confident in the woman who was to be his wife and he would show her to whom she was to obey. Then again, he did not want to be here with his brother to meet his wife in the first place. He would rather be practicing with his khopesh and practicing with one of his father's young soldiers rather than being here.

The figures were getting closer and Ahkmenrah gulped. _Oh for the love of Ra _he mentally said to himself _get a grip_. Part of his mind said that she would love him the moment she set her eyes on him but the other part of his mind said that she was not going to love him at all. _Oh no they're getting closer _his brain screamed and his breathing increased. He ran the back of his hand on his cheek and felt a pool of sweat. _Kahmunrah was right I needed a drink of wine. Oh God here she comes!_ his mind was on high alert as his future wife's features became visible to him.

From what he saw, she looked like a striking young woman. Her eyes were lined with green color lined with dark kohl and her lips were red. In Ahkmenrah's view she looked beautiful but her features were fierce, as if she was angry to be here. _Just great _Ahkmenrah thought. When the king of Alexandria took his last step, Ahkmenrah thought that he was going to pass out.

King Merenkahre smiled when King Mahu and Neferet who greeted the family with a bow. "How was your journey my good king?" King Merenkahre asked.

"Rather long but thank the Gods that there was no sandstorms," King Mahu told him with a smile.

"And I am sure this is your lovely young daughter," Queen Shepseheret said when her eyes fell upon Neferet. Once the queen's eyes made contact with hers, Neferet felt her tense muscles beginning to relax. The queen of Cairo was such a beautiful woman and she looked like she had a kind and gentle spirit.

King Mahu placed his hands on his daughters shoulder and smiled at the family. "She is," he answered her, "and I do apologize about the cat but she insisted on keeping him with her. She has had it ever since it was a kitten."

"Not to worry, all of us Egyptians love our cats," King Merenkahre told him, "and it is not a burned at all to have one from Alexandria."

"And this must be your son," King Mahu smiled over at Ahkmenrah who gave him a bow. When he straightened himself from the bow, he noticed Neferet looking at him. He noticed a slight smile lingering on her lips as she gave him a nod with her head. Was it a smile just to be friendly or a smile that she was glad to finally be here.

_Oh yes, sure, ignore the tallest son here. What do I look like? One of the guards? _Kahmunrah bitterly thought when King Mahu ignored him.

"Ahkmenrah and Kahmunrah," Queen Shepseheret introduced both of her sons making both King Mahu and Neferet look from one son to the other. Kahmunrah gave the both of them a bow.

_Hmm it would have been nice if this little one had a sister. She does have that sense of beauty lingering upon her _Kahmunrah thought when he caught a good glimpse of Neferet who was looking at him. He gave her a slight smile but she immediately averted her eyes and looked back at the king, queen, and Ahkmenrah.

"So shall we give you a tour of the castle?" King Merenkahre asked Neferet.

Neferet gave him a smile and said, "I would love to, thank you."

On that note, the two royal families headed into the castle and began the tour.


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own Night at the Museum**

**Alright everybody I might have done a screw-up here. I checked for Ahkmenrah's...well Rami Malek's eye color and I got green/green-gary. If I am wrong, please let me know. Also, and this my opinion but when I saw him I thought he resembled a little bit of Bruno Mars on him. Then again, what do I know :D**

**Also, I changed the summary of the story and somethings that I was not planning on doing that I will be doing, so I hope it does not disappoint and I hope ya'll enjoy! :D**

**EgyptianAngel: Hey! Thanks for the review! Ahkmenrah made a wise decision not to listen to his brother but we'll see where it leads... :D**

* * *

The palace in Neferet's view was absolutely beautiful. The walls were a bright amber color with hieroglyphics and various artwork that decorated them. The servants that surrounded the kingdom smiled and bowed to her and her father as they passed through the hallways. "And this shall be the lovely princess's room," Queen Shepseheret faced Neferet and King Mahu. She placed her hand on the door handle and let the door open, as it exposed Neferet's new room. The princess's eyes opened wide when she saw how beautiful the room looked. She faced the queen and with a bow she smiled and said, "thank you."

"Would you like to go in and see?" the queen asked her and without haste, Neferet clung tightly onto her cat and walked into her new bedroom. The room smelled of fresh lavender and it's walls had the same amber-like color that surrounded the rest of the palace. There were various potted plants that decorated her room, a large comfortable bed with it's sheets made entirely out of linen, and...her favorite, a statue of the goddess Bast. She walked over to the statue and ran her hand over the cat's head.

When he saw her doing that, Ahkmenrah looked down to the ground and gave his mother a nudge as if she should have said something. His mother looked over to him and gave him a look that made him want to curl into the corner of the kingdom and become as small as possible. "Go and tell her," she whispered to him and noticed him getting very red in the face.

He took a step forward and with each step that he took, he felt himself beginning to shake. _Oh for the love of Ra_! he scolded himself, _get a hold of yourself. You are going to be the Fourth pharaoh of the Fourth pharaohs, gather up some courage for crying out loud._ When he was close to her, he watched from the corner of his eye as his parents and Neferet's father disappeared from the room and the door shut. _Oh! _he mentally moaned. However, he was going to do this. Cleating his throat, he saw as the princess turned around and looked at him.

For a woman who was twenty, she looked very beautiful but it was the thought of her being two years older than he was. _I should not judge _he thought and pushed away the prejudice thoughts. _She is to be my princess and queen and I want to make her happy and treat her well _he thought.

"The statue is very beautiful," Neferet broke the silence as she ran her hand over the statue again.

Ahkmenrah managed to give her a smile. "I-I-It is my present to you," he felt himself stuttered. _Please don't talk with a lisp _he begged himself, sensing his nervousness. "My father told my mother and I a lot about you and your love for...," he looked down at her pet cat who was sitting down next to Neferet's feet and staring at him with those bright emerald eyes, "cats."

_And my father has never mentioned anything about you_ she thought as she looked at him reaching over to her cat and stroking his head. She heard her cat purring when he touched him. Neferet bent to his level and looked at him with a smile. "Well, I don't know anything about you," she told him and his eyes turned to look at her. They were a soft green-gray color and for a second there, Neferet thought she was in a room with one of the most handsomest pharaohs she had ever laid eyes on, "but I do love surprises."

He chuckled at her comment. All this time, he thought that she was going to be hard to handle but seeing that she had youth in her maybe everything was going to be fine. Suddenly, he saw her cat walking over to him and stroking his head over his knee.

"Well looks like my cat, Kha likes you," Neferet narrated the scene that was taking place.

"His name is Kha?" Ahkmenrah asked her, "that's what I call my brother."

Neferet smirked at the comment but then dismissed it from her thoughts. "How does it feel like to become the next pharaoh?" she asked when she saw her cat jumping on the prince's lap and stroking his head under his chin.

Ahkmenrah laughed as the cat's fur tickled his chin but then looked at Neferet, "it feels...very intimidating but I hope I can do it. I want to make the people of Cairo feel happy and safe and freed from these wars that have happened."

"My father and your father fought alongside each other in the war when they drove the Hyskos away," Neferet told him, "and looks at where we both are."

"Oh I am not complaining," Ahkmenrah said, "what was your first reaction when you heard about being married?"

When he asked this, Neferet felt her heart drop. She was infuriated, stubborn, selfish, and acted like a spoiled child. But now, being in one room with him, she felt like she should have not acted that way. "I was ecstatic." She had the nerve to lie, especially to him. Then again, a little white lie never hurt anybody did it? "What about you?"

_Scared _was Ahkmenrah first thought but when he looked at her to answer, she interrupted him. "You know, it does not matter how we felt," she said, "the important thing is that we are here and we finally met one another. So we can put these silly feelings aside."

"Yes," Ahkmenrah agreed, "silly feelings indeed." And the two of them laughed at each other.

* * *

From the outside of the room, King Mahu, King Merenkahre, and Queen Shepseheret had gathered around the door to hear what was going on in the room. The parents knew quite well that what they were doing was an invasion of privacy, but King Mahu wanted to make sure that her daughter accepted the young prince. When he heard the two of them laughing, a wave of relief washed over him. He accepted her and she did the same with him.

_Oh thank the Gods_ King Mahu sent a prayer to them. Without saying anything else, he placed his hand on the door handle and opened the door. Both Neferet and Ahkmenrah looked up as the king of Alexandria walked into the room. He noticed that the prince and princess were slightly holding hands at whatever the subject they were talking about that amused them.

Neferet noticed a tender look on her father's face and she gave him a smile.

"I have to get back to Alexandria now," he told her. Neferet lifted herself from the ground and with her arms opened wide, she circled them around her father and gave him a hug.

"Thank you," she said and he placed a kiss on her head. When they pulled away she said, "I hope you can come back for my coronation."

"I will never miss it and that is a promise," he said and squeezed her hands, "write to me as much as you can," he said and kissed his daughter again. He turned his eyes to Ahkmenrah and gave the prince a bow and he did the same. "Take care of her," he told Ahkmenrah.

Ahkmenrah reassured him with a smile that he was going to do everything that he could to love her and make her as happy as possible. He saw as King Mahu said his good-byes with his daughter and then, he walked out of the room and the two of them were left alone at last. Before he had the chance to say something to her, the door knocked.

The two looked at the door as if it was going to open on it's own. Ahkmenrah dreaded the thought that his older brother would be there, waiting to embarrass him in front of his new wife. But the knock came again once more and it couldn't be ignored. With a sigh, Ahkmenrah walked over to the door and opened it just a bit as he stuck his head out to look.

"Thought I might find you here," a voice that he recognized said. With a smile, Ahkmenrah welcomed Zhara into the room. "And you must be my friend's lovely new wife," she said when she saw Neferet and bowed to her.

Neferet gave her a nod of her head and smiled at the young girl. "Who might you be?"

"She is Zhara," Ahkmenrah introduced her, "we have been friends ever since we were young."

"Oh," was all Neferet said when she heard the news.

"Yup," Zhara answered and she gave Ahkmenrah a friendly nudge, "and I just wanted to congratulate the both of you on your marriage." She walked over to Neferet and to the princess's surprise, gave her a hug. Neferet looked at Ahkmenrah and reluctantly returned the hug.

"She does that all the time," Ahkmenrah told Neferet, "she even gives my mother and father hugs."

"You can say that even though I am not part of the blood-line, I am like his sister," Zhara told her and she turned and gave him a smile, "his annoying sister."

"Just a little," Ahkmenrah jokingly said, "by the way, how would you like for Zhara to be your personal servant?" he asked Neferet. At that moment, he hated using the term 'servant' upon Zhara, even though she was one.

Neferet looked at Zhara who looked like she was ready to give her another hug if she said yes. Seeing that she was one of Ahkmenrah's best friends, she thought it would be great to have someone to talk to. "It would be an honor."

Zhara gave her a smile and said, "well, I wouldn't say an honor, THANK YOU!" she abruptly yelled as she ran over to Neferet and gave her another tight hug. When she released the princess and looked at her with an ecstatic smile. "This is going to be great!"

_It is going to be great indeed _Ahkmenrah thought when he saw Zhara talking non-stop at Neferet about how she was going to take care of her, dress her, apply on her make-up, and various topics. For once, Ahkmenrah believed that he was finally going to be happy and live through a wonderful reign with a wonderful wife.


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own Night at the Museum**

**Popcorn: Hi Popcorn! Thank you so much for the review. ****Unfortunately, they will not bear any children but meeting Larry and the gang...I am planning on that one :D**

* * *

Maybe this was not going to be as bad as Neferet thought. After hours of her father's departure, King Merenkahre had taken Ahkmenrah with him. From what Neferet overheard the king whispering to his son was of a private matter. When he had left, Neferet turned her attention to Zhara who had made herself comfortable on a couch. "What was that about?" Neferet asked when they left the room.

"Whenever his father comes to him, things get a bit mysterious," Zhara told her, "but you'll get used to it."

"Does he take too long?" Neferet asked. The three of them were having such a good time before King Merenkahre came and took him.

Zhara only gave her a shrug with her shoulders. "I don't have the knowledge of what he teaches him but I do believe it has to do something about him becoming a pharaoh."

When she said that, Neferet couldn't help but give her new servant a slight smirk. Zhara made no sense of emotion when she saw that smile but only looked at her. "I might not know you that well yet," the young girl began, "but I know a sly smile when I see one."

Neferet lightly laughed at her comment. "Oh yes," she said as she looked down at her polished nails and then at Zhara, "how about you and I do a little investigation?"

Zhara had never thought of that. Whenever Ahkmenrah left her, she just minded her own business and waited for his return. She looked up at Neferet and noticed the same smile and a small glint in here eye, causing her to experience a thrill of exhilaration and curiosity. Then a sudden thought occurred to her. When Ahkmenrah returned from meeting with his father, he never told her what the contents of their meeting was but then again, she had never bothered to ask. "Let's go," she said and grabbed Neferet's hand.

The two girls exited the bedroom and tiptoed across the hallway as quietly as they could. "We might get in so much trouble," Zhara whispered to Neferet when they stood next to the wall that led a lit room. Neferet slowly craned her neck and peeked from the door frame and into the room where she noticed the pharaoh and Ahkmenrah that was sitting to a throne next to his father.

Neferet squinted when she noticed an object that the old pharaoh was holding. It was a well-crafted rectangular shaped golden tablet. Just by looking at Ahkmenrah's facial expressions, Neferet could sense that he was happy to have possession of this object and his father held a pleasing look. "What's going on?" Zhara asked as she tried to push past Neferet to get a better look.

Neferet placed her back against the cold wall and looked at Zhara. "I don't know what's there to be so secretive about a golden tablet," she told her, "what is so special about it?"

"A tablet?" Zhara echoed the word, "I have never heard of this before." _Then again, why should I? He doesn't tell me anything about his meetings with his father._ She turned her head and looked over at Neferet, feeling slightly uneasy. "I don't think we should be here your Highness, let's so back."

Neferet held up her index finger when she heard King Merenkahre speaking softly to his youngest son. "Protect it," was what she heard him say but that did not convince her the true value that the golden tablet held. "This will eternally be yours, the Golden Tablet of Ahkmenrah." When she heard this, Neferet raised an eyebrow. So that tablet was not a gift for her but it was only for him, which made her more curious to find out the secrets of the tablet.

Zhara was starting to become anxious. She felt like she was invading her friend's personal space and this she did not want to do. "Uhh..." she said and shut her mouth when Neferet quickly turned her head and gave her an annoyed look, "I am just going to go back to your room."

"Sure," Neferet said and Zhara let out a sigh of relief. She turned on her heel and quickly disappeared from the hallway. Once she was gone, Neferet turned her attention back Ahkmenrah and his father. "I will protect this tablet," she heard Ahkemnrah tell his father.

"And no one else must know about it," his father instructed him, "only you, your mother, and I have knowledge about this tablet and no one else. Not your brother, not your little servant friend, and certainly not your wife."

She pulled herself away from the doorframe when she heard his father say that. Of course they had only met her in the mere few hours that she was here but did they not trust her?

"Why is that?" Ahkmenrah asked him. He looked down at the tablet that rested in his hands and then thought about his future wife. Surely he had to tell her sooner or later about it because he knew well enough that a marriage filled with secrets was not going to be a good happy ending for the both of them. He understood why this should be kept from his brother and also Zhara, for she had the tendency to have a very giddy-like appearance when she had been told a secret but why his wife? "She is surely going to find out eventually."

_Or right now _Neferet mentally added.

"I know she means well," his father told him, "and I trust her because I believe she came from a very rich and educated family, but you can..." and this is where Neferet tried to strain her hearing as best as she could but she could not make out the whispered words that the king was telling his son. _Oh never mind_! she slightly lifted her arms and let them fall to her sides. Maybe it was probably for the best that she did not hear such a conversation but how was she to conceal it? She knew very well that the moment she saw Ahkmenrah, she was going to ask him where he was and what they subject of their conversation was about.

Giving the room one last look, she turned around and started to head back into her own room. _Just push it out of your mind_ she kept telling herself but that was not helpful. _Maybe I should just tell him that I overheard their conversation...Are you an idiot? That is such a foolish thing to do! _she yelled at herself. _Do that and you might as well be miserable because he is never going to trust you! _

"Your Highness," a voice made her jump out of her skin. She turned around and saw Zhara looking at her with a surprised look on her face, "is everything alright?"

"Oh yes, yes," Neferet assured her, "I should have not eavesdropped on them."

"Did you hear something you were not supposed to hear?" Zhara asked her.

"I did not," Neferet told her, "but I just feel a little guilty for doing that. I have this feeling that I should tell him what I did but I fear that he is going to lose faith and trust when I do."

"I would just push it out of my mind," Zhara told her as if she already did not know, "and I try not to think about and engage myself with something else. However I think it is wise to tell him about what you saw. Honesty is always best when it comes to these sort of situations."

_Well I already lied to him once _Neferet thought when he had asked her how she felt about getting married to him_ and I probably should tell him_. She turned her head back to the hallway where she came from and looked back at Zhara. "I shall be right back," she told her and headed straight down the hall and to the room. However, when she got there the two thrones were empty.

_Now where did he go? _the princess thought as she stepped foot into the room and looked around. Maybe this was her chance to get a good look at the tablet. After all, she did like gold and the way it was handcrafted was completely beautiful. But the tablet was nowhere to be seen. _Looks like I came back here for nothing _she thought in disappointment.

"How delightful meeting you here," a voice said behind her and for the second time in a row, she jumped to her feet and whirled around to see Ahkmenrah's brother leaning against the doorway.

Neferet placed a hand on her chest and tried to catch her breath from the slight scare that she had just experienced.

Kahmunrah smirked when he noticed her reaction. "Oh looks like I have scared the little kitten," he chuckled and took a sip of his wine that was in the golden goblet that he held.

When he said that, Neferet's eyes shot wide open. It was the same voice and the same sentence that was in her dream before her joinery to Cairo. But it could not be him could it? Let alone, she could not even remember how he had looked like in her dream. After catching her breath, Neferet stood straight and looked at him, "I know that we have just met, but I would appreciate it not to call me kitten."

He took another sip of his wine and placed the goblet on a tablet that was next to him. "My apologies princess," he said.

"Excuse me?" Neferet furrowed her eyebrows when he said that.

"I just said my apologies," he repeated himself. He gave her a confused look when he caught a smile on her face, "may I ask what is so amusing?"

Neferet placed a hand on the tips of her lips and tried to suppress the laugh that was threading to make it's way out of her mouth. She felt her cheeks getting red. "I am sorry," she giggled, "but I have never heard anyone talk like that before."

"Talk like what?" he asked her, "what did I say?"

When he said the last word, she couldn't help it. "No, no I am sorry," she apologized once more, "it's not what you said it was how you said it."

Was she playing with him right now? Kahmunrah gave her a dissatisfied look, "yes, yes, I have a lisp," he said which caused her to chortle even more which made him slightly peeved.

When she finally caught her breath, her eyes were glazed over with tears and she breathed out, "again I am so sorry for laughing at the way you speak," she said once she gathered herself.

"I am sure you are," Kahmunrah said and turned to walk out of the room.

"Wait!" Neferet called and he stopped to look at her, "aren't you Ahkmenrah's brother?

"The last time I checked, yes," he told her. When he noticed her eyebrows furrowing at his answer, he couldn't help but feel a bit satisfied. "Oh come now, no need to look so upset."

"Oh I am not," she told him, "I just didn't like the way you spoke."

"Sorry bad habit," he told her. _You have to know how to speak to this one _he thought. Changing the subject, he asked, "might I ask what you are doing in the throne room?"

Neferet gave him a slight shrug with her shoulder. "I was just walking around the kingdom and thought of checking out the rooms and how they are," she lied.

"I thought that was covered when you first came here with your father was it not?" he asked her.

"A little refresher wouldn't hurt now would it?" she placed a hand on her hip and felt agitated at his questions, "but may I ask what you are doing here?" she reflected his question back to him as she folded her arms across her chest.

"I live here," he simply told her, "therefore I have the prerogative to go at which room I want. You, on the other hand, do not."

"As the future queen of Cairo, I do," she said and that made him chuckle.

_Quite the sassy tongue this one _Kahmunrah thought as he held onto a smug smile. "I am sure you would," he told her. He raised his eyes when he noticed his father and brother walking up from behind her.

"Neferet?" Ahkmenrah spoke her name and she whirled around to look at his straight in the eyes. He was just as shocked as she was to find her here in the room.

Kahmunrah looked at his brother and then at Neferet, "well," he spoke, "I shall be going. I would not like to interfere between a lover's quarrel," he said as he slinked out of the room and left Neferet, Ahkmenrah, and his father.


	9. Chapter 9

**I don't own Night at the Museum**

**EgyptianAngel: Hey, it's all good! No worries and thank you for the reviews! There will be tension and sarcasm in later chapters as the story progresses. And yes, Kahmunrah and his famous lisp ;) let's hope I didn't cross the line on that one. I hope you enjoy this chapter :D**

**Popcorn: Hey! Thanks for the review! To answer your questions yes, Neferet will be at the Smithsonian along with Kahmunrah (his wax figure, since I am going to go by the movie plot) and there might be a bit of romance in later chapters. I just don't want to rush it since its been a couple of hours since she has met the royal family. I hope you enjoy the chapter :D**

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Neferet mentally kicked herself as she stood face to face with Ahkmenrah and his father. _I am in trouble now, way to go _she congratulated herself when she noticed the grim features on King Merenkahre's face. Before his father had the chance to say anything, Ahkmenrah grabbed Neferet by the arm and was about to escort her out of the room until his father's voice said, "stop." The two of them halted in their footsteps and turned around to look at him.

Ahkmenrah sensed that Neferet had the chance to come and snoop around when he and his father were not in the room, but he hoped that she did not hear anything that she was not supposed to hear. Just then, he felt his father's hand upon his shoulder as he turned and looked over at him. "I believe it is best that you consult this with her. You know what I told you," his father whispered to him. He looked over at Neferet and gave her a small smile before walking out of the room, shutting the door, and leaving them there.

Neferet was relieved that the king had not frowned down upon her when he left. However, she did feel a bit uneasy being with Ahkmenrah considering the circumstances.

Ahkmenrah cleared this throat, stalling for time to figure out what he had to say to her. He was a bit confused as to why she would check what he was doing in such a sneaky way. Sure there were other women in the kingdom but he was not that kind of man. He was not angry nor upset but he just wanted to make it clear to her. "Did you hear the conversation with my father?" he finally broke the silence between them.

Neferet's first reaction was to shake her head 'no' but what was the point in that? Their relationship should not be based on lies. "I did," she answered him, "but not anything serious."

"What did you hear?" Ahkmenrah approached her until he was close enough to look at her in the eyes. He was slightly taller than her and that made her look down at her hands.

"Only that I heard your father telling you that I should not have any knowledge about what you had in your hands," Neferet answered and she looked up at him, "I don't understand Ahkmenrah. Does your family not trust me to keep such a secret?"

"No," Ahkmenrah immediately answered and grabbed her hands in his, "no that is not the problem. If they did, they would not have picked such a lovely girl to be my future wife," he told her and he was glad to see a small smile lingering upon her lips. "Here's the issue of what he told me."

"Wait a second," Neferet interrupted him before he continued, "do you think it is wise to tell me?"

"Why not?" Ahkmenrah asked her, "_I _trust you and I know well enough that this conversation will be just between us." He held out his hand in front of her and she placed hers on top of his. He squeezed her hand and led her to the top of the two thrones where he and his father just sat. Neferet took the liberty sitting on the right throne while the sat on the left.

Neferet placed her elbows on the golden arms on the throne and placed her hands on her cheeks. "So tell me," she said as Ahkmenrah looked at her, "what are the secrets to this golden tablet that you had in your hands?"

"I don't know any secrets," Ahkmenrah simply told her which caused her to hit her forehead with her hand. She looked at him with a flustered look, "what?" he innocently asked her.

"Oh don't you 'what' me," Neferet said, "you mean to tell me that you know nothing? Your father did not tell you anything!"

"If he did, I would have told you by now," Ahkmenrah told her. Even though his father had strictly told him not to, he would have done it anyway. She was his future wife and she had to know what he had been up to. "Anyway here is what my father told me about that golden tablet." Once he began to tell her the story, Neferet leaned in close to him, not only to get a better look at his eyes but to listen to every single world that came out of this mouth.

"He did not tell me the combination nor did he tell me the reason why he made that tablet for me," he told her and leaned back against the throne.

Neferet's mouth hung open when he told her that. "You sneaky pharaoh," she said as she pulled away from the arms of the throne, "you had me thinking that you were going to tell me what he told you."

"I told you what he didn't tell me," Ahkmenrah told her, "therefore I know nothing about the tablet. I don't even know what is so special about it either. All he told me was to guard it with my life and I have to go by my father's word," he said but he could sense that she did not believe him at all, "you believe me right?" he asked her.

All Neferet wanted to do was to end this conversation. There clearly was no point in continuing it if he was not going to tell her anything. "I do," she said assuring him with a nod of her head, "we can just pretend that this whole thing did not happen."

Ahkmenrah leaned against the throne and let out a sigh, "good," he spoke after the air escaped his lungs. Neferet leaned against her throne too and looked up at the ceiling of the room that was decorated in gold and many hieroglyphics. If she were to compare this palace with the one in Alexandria, this one was a lot bigger and brighter than the one she had back home. "Sometimes I wonder," Ahkmenrah's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"About what?" Neferet asked and turned her head to look at him.

"Why I was chosen to be the pharaoh," he told her, "usually it is the custom that the oldest one is the next in line. Are you the oldest in your family?" he asked her.

"Yes," Neferet shook her head, "I was the only one born before my mother passed away after she gave birth to me."

"Oh I am sorry," Ahkmenrah said with sympathy, "my mother was almost near her death when she gave birth to my older brother. It's what I heard from the servants when they tended her during that time. They tend to gossip a lot."

Neferet laughed. "All servants do." She thought that it was nice for the two of them to be alone in the room with no servants, no disruptions, and better yet no parents to look over them. "Getting back on topic," she said, "maybe there was a good reason why you were chosen. I should not be the one to judge but maybe you are more mature and understand about what the people of Egypt want let alone, how they should be treated."

"It has been exhausting," he told her. "My tutors taught me for hours and after I was finished with them, I spent the whole day following in my father's footsteps to learn the importance of being a pharaoh and every single factor that came along with it."

"So you are feeling nervous?" Neferet said.

"A little bit," Ahkmenrah looked down at his hands.

"And I feel nervous about becoming a queen," Neferet told him. "I did not have my mother to show me the way but I was tutored too as much as possible to learn about how to become a good queen and how I should be there by my husband's side. So you have nothing to fear," she told him a smile, "we have been taught all our lives and we can do it."

"I sure hope so," Ahkmenrah said.

"Not hope, but will," Neferet corrected him, "I did not come all the way to get married to a hesitant pharaoh now did I?"

"Hey," Ahkmenrah said as if he was offended by her words causing the both of them to erupt into a fit of laughter. After they gathered themselves from their laughs, Ahkmenrah looked at her once more and said, "I am very glad that I met you."

"As am I," Neferet told him and they rejoiced their hands once more.

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**Hey guys, my apologies if this chapter was a little dull but I was running out of ideas. If you guys have any suggestions shout 'em out! I hate writer's block!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I don't own Night at the Museum**

**I am so, so sorry for updating this late but my muse decided to temporarily leave me. I have a bijillion ideas in my head but I don't want to rush this, but hopefully we get to those parts sooner than later. Also, another time skip once more everyone. I don't want to bore anyone to death :D**

**USE THIS IDEA: Wow that is an excellent idea! Thank you so much for the suggestion, however I am going to use it a little later in the story.**

**EgyptianAngel: Thank you for the review. I wouldn't become too comfortable with Neferet yet but we'll see how she acts throughout the story :D Hope you enjoy!**

**Popcorn: Thank you for the review. Ahkmenrah is a very nice and humble pharaoh but sometimes that can lead to trouble**

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A week had passed ever since Neferet had arrived in Cairo, and with each passing day, Ahkmenrah felt that they were coming closer to their wedding day. According to his parents, they had agreed for the wedding to take place. Thinking about the wedding made him feel a bit nervous, but he felt that he should just get over this feeling. It was normal for a man to feel this way just before their marriage. Then again, he had spent as much time as he could with Neferet, except in the afternoons when he would spend some time with his father who was trying to prepare as best as he could in being a pharaoh. At least the two of them had the night to themselves.

At the moment, he was walking with his father throughout the kingdom, taking in each and every word that his father said. Sometimes, Ahkmenrah's mind would wander over to Neferet, thinking about what she was doing and how she was passing her time. "Ahkmenrah are you listening?" his father haled his lecture and looked over at his son.

"Hmm?" Ahkmenrah dismissively said before uttering a 'yes.'

King Merenkahre let out a sigh at his son's response. "I know that you are awaiting to be with your future wife but you really need to heed at my words. This is the most crucial week for you and I want to make sure that you are more than prepared for what is to come on your wedding day and the future for the kingdom of Cairo."

"I am very sorry father," Ahkmenrah apologized, "it's just that all this time has passed since I have been with Neferet and I just want to be with her every moment."

His father smiled when his son said that, "that's how I felt about your mother," he told him, "but you must be patient. All good things will come your way."

Ahkmenrah gave his father a nod as well his full attention as the lessons commenced once more. His father stopped by the balcony of the palace and looked overhead at the horizon where he took in the clear blue sky, the sands and pyramids of Cairo, and the village where his people lived. "Once you're married, all of this will belong to you," he said to Ahkmenrah as the young pharaoh turned his eyes and took in the beautiful panorama.

_Not just mine but my wife's too _Ahkmenrah added. He looked overhead and felt the bright sun rays blanketing over his face, as id Ra was welcoming him as the new pharaoh of Cairo. _It's going to happen soon _he reassured himself _you just need to be ready and brave. _With those thoughts in his mind, he pulled away from the balcony and followed his father who had been waiting for him.

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In her room, Neferet was lying down on her armchair as Zhara slathered scented lavender oil on her body. It had been hours ever since Ahkmenrah had left her alone and she felt herself getting bored as the minutes passed on. Her cat was curled up on her bed slumbering for long hours while Zhara constantly asked her questions about what she wanted. Neferet did not know if this was her way of entertainment but she knew that it was easily striking her nerves.

"Shall I get you anything to eat?" Zhara asked.

"For the last time," Neferet spoke, "no."

Zhara finished oiling the princess and walked over to look at her in the face. "I am sorry for being such a bother but I want you to feel comfortable being here, almost as if you are back home."

"That is kind of you but Cairo is not like Alexandria and my father is not here. Nevertheless, I do like the people of Cairo. You do not need to try to make me feel at home. All it matters is your friendly company," Neferet smiled at her and she could feel the muscles on Zhara's anxious face starting to relax."So what have we planned for today?" she asked as she got up from her armchair and paced about the room.

Zhara put the vial of lavender oil on the table and looked at Neferet, "whatever you desire my princess."

"How about we see what Ahkmenrah is up to? He has been gone for hours."

"He has lessons with his father," Zhara reminded her, "I don't think it's wise to disrupt them. He will be here shortly after the sun sets."

"But that is going to take hours," Neferet said as she flopped on her bed, awakening her cat, "my apologies Kha," she apologized to her pet by giving him a stroke on the head. She lifted herself from the bed and looked at Zhara once more. "I am going to go and get some fresh air for a while," she said as she got up from the bed, "you do not have to come with me. I wish to be alone," she added when she noticed Zhara's arms tense as she was about to leave.

"Shall I get your food ready in the meantime?" Zhara asked her, "you have not eaten since Ahkmenrah left."

_Again with the food _Neferet thought before turning around and facing her servant. "For the last and final time, I will let you know when I am hungry," she said and hurriedly walked out the door and into the hallway. She was glad to finally have the opportunity to just walk about the palace, explore, and be away from her servant once in a while. She felt bad for wondering this but sometimes Zhara was like a leech. No matter how many times Neferet told her that she fine, Zhara would make extra sure that she taken care of.

She spotted a flight of stairs and proceeded in climbing them until she found herself on the second floor of the palace. The whole hallway was decorated in gold and various pictures and hieroglyphics, making the hallway look beautiful yet mysterious. She walked over to the balcony and looked at the land that stood below her, taking in the beauty of the sky, pyramids, village, and the panorama as a whole. Just in a while, she was going to share this land with her future husband, this and Alexandria when her father's time passed.

As she leaned towards the balcony, breathing in the fresh air, her ears heard something metallic scraping over an object. She straightened herself and went to discover where the noise was coming from. As she walked, she could hear the scarping of the metal becoming louder but, she also heard a human noise within. She walked over to a room, whose door was slightly open until her eyes came face to face with a guard and Ahkmenrah's brother who, in Neferet's eyes, was fighting with a statesman.

Kahmunrah held a khopesh in his grip and clashed the weapon against the statesman's kopesh. Neferet was amazed to see how quickly he was able to move his weapon as well as himself to dodge from the guard's attacks. As the statesman stuck his khopesh towards Kahmunrah, the hook of the khopesh got a hold of the statesman's weapon and he flung it in the air and grabbed it with his free hand. In an instant, he had the statesman cornered to the wall with the two weapons pointed at his throat.

"Well played Your Highness," the statesman said and Kahmunrah released the weapons from his throat.

"You as well," Kahmunrah said to the statesman, "now return to your duties, maybe we can play another round later."

The statesman bowed to him and turned to leave the room. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Neferet peeking through the door. Kahmunrah took notice and a smile made its way to his lips when he saw her. "Come on it, don't be shy," he said to her and she slowly walked into the room. There was a quiet air around them as Kahmunrah placed the khopeshes where they belonged. "Do you usually linger around the hallway peeking into the rooms of others?" Kahmunrah broke the silence between them.

"No," Neferet answered, "I was just out for some fresh air when I heard a noise."

_And what a coincidence that those noises led you to me _Kahmunrah thought but decided not to speak his mind. "Shouldn't you be...I don't know, with my brother. Ever since you arrived here, you two have been inseparable."

Neferet tried her best to keep from laughing when she heard his lisp. However, it was a quite hard. "He," she placed a hand over her mouth, "I'm thorry-sorry," she quickly corrected herself.

"Are you mocking me?" he asked making her smile falter.

"Oh no," Neferet shook her head, "it was a mistake. I did not mean to offend you."

"Good because I have been offended enough," he gruffly stated and turned his back to her. He took a cloth from the table and began to clean the two weapons that he had used just moments ago.

"How?" Neferet asked when her curiosity got the better of her. "Why would anyone offend you? You are a prince."

"It is not your place to ask me such a question," he turned and looked at her, "but since you will be married to my brother and living with us, I might as well be kind enough to give you a hint. When I'm around, just look at how my parents and dear brother treat me. Then you shall see."

"But they are so nice," Neferet told him, "how can they treat you any differently?"

_Foolish girl _Kahmunrah thought as he had the urge to laugh at her naive question. "Have you any brothers or sisters?"

"I was the only one born in my family," Neferet answered him.

"Lucky you then," he said, "you do not have to fight for the throne like I had to, and I lost."

"But you can get married to another princess," Neferet suggested, "with your..." she stopped herself before she could continue any further.

However, her pause got his interest and he stared intently at her. "With my what?" he asked but she wouldn't dare say it. He squinted over to her and said, "why my dear, are you blushing?"

Neferet's hand flew to her cheek and she felt a slight heat making it's way from her face to her hand. "N-no," she said, "never mind. Couldn't you just get married to another princess?" she asked getting back on topic.

"I would," Kahmunrah told her, "if my parents are kind enough to introduce me to her, but alas, they have other plans. They have to get Ahkmenrah ready for being the future pharaoh, get Ahkmenrah ready for his wedding, Ahkmenrah this, Ahkmenrah that."

"It must be hard being the oldest child," Neferet said.

"Wise observation," he told her, "just so you know," he stepped closer to her and saw that her body tensed when he did that. "Just relax, I am not going to hurt you," he assured her, "I just want to give you a warning about Ahkmenrah and a little servant who goes by the name of Zhara." He saw in her eyes that she became interested in what he had to say. "The two of them had a...relationship before you came along."

"A romantic one?" Neferet asked.

_Am I dealing with an unintelligent being here_? Kahmunrah wanted to say out loud. "That's what a relationship is. I don't know all of the details but I know that they were." He stopped talking and looked at her as if expecting her to say something. When she didn't speak, he said, "just a precaution."

"I think I should be heading back to my room now," she said as she turned her around and walked out the door. Before leaving, she turned around and looked at him, "thank you," she said before walking out the room.


	11. Chapter 11

**I don't own Night at the Museum**

**HEY! Long time, no write. I do apologize for the absence in this story but the continuation of it shall commence. Thank you for all of the comments thus far!**

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Kahmunrah rolled his eyes when Neferet left the room. The words that had slipped out of his mouth and directed towards the future queen were a big fat lie. His intention was not because he wanted her all to himself. He could care less about her but he had something bigger planned for the future kingdom of Cairo. Kahmunrah let out a sigh and exited out of the room that was filled with the weapons that he fought with the statesman and headed over to the balcony of the palace, overseeing the land of Cairo. It was a very lush location and everyone seemed to be very happy with it under his father's rule but Kahmunrah knew that there were lairs lurking about the village, traitors that all his father had done was forgive them for their deeds. If Kahmunrah was in his place, he would have each and every one of the executed installing fear on every villager as each and every one of them would bow at his feet.

Oh how he so dreamed of this. He would even bring many other resources from various countries to his territory and expand Egypt to other countries. The bigger his country, the better and he dreamed that his descendants would carry down his legacy for many, many years. He just had to get rid of the ones who stood in his way, starting with his brother whom he saw as a mere, immature, and pathetic future ruler. Kahmunrah believed that he would make Egypt look weak under the eyes of other strong countries and Kahmunrah hated that. Every time he thought of this and that his brother was going to take the throne in just a matter of time, his blood boiled. He wished that he had gotten rid of him once he had the chance.

_Maybe it's not too late _Kahmunrah was in deep thought as he looked above the sky to the sun. Judging from the position it was in, it was almost dinnertime one family event that he despised. He had been sitting with his parents hearing over and over again what his father and Ahkmenrah spoke about and the future plans that were in order with his future bride. Kahmunrah could care less about a wedding but the lessons that his father spoke of interested him. Mentally, he would judge his father's words and twist them into his own words knowing well that his own way was better than the teachings from his father. Although, once thing interested Kahmunrah and it was the homeland of Neferet. He was aware that his father had created an alliance with Alexandria but that was a foolish thing for his father to do. Why make an alliance when you can just own it? He scoffed at the thought and pulled away from the balcony to head over to where dinner was going to be served.

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After her encounter with Kahmunrah, Neferet had quickly walked back to the room that she shared with Ahkmenrah. Zhara was not there and Neferet was more than thankful for that. She did not know how she was going to face her servant after that Kahmunrah had told her. He had said that before Neferet was to become betrothed to Ahkmenrah, he had a relationship with Zhara. Were they still having one behind her back? This Neferet did not know as she collapsed to a pile of pillows and let out a sigh. Why did he have to tell her that? Was Kahmunrah looking out for her?

Suddenly her eyes widened at the thought. _Could he...actually like me_? She shook her head and pushed the thought away from her mind. The way he had approached her, standing just inches away from her, and the way he had spoken to her in such a teasing manner made her think so. Of course she did not like the way he had spoken but that did not mean that she despised him. _No, no_ she shook her thoughts away. It was Ahkmenrah that she was to be with and of what had happened in the past did not matter...but it mattered to her.

She wanted someone who never had any lovers in their past. Neferet wanted to be _the _one and _the _only one. Due to her lack of knowledge on love, that was not how it worked and that she did not know. Neferet leaned her head against one of the pillows and was in deep thought just before her eyes began to close. She did not know how long she had been sleeping until she felt a hand on her arm, gently shaking her awake. Her eyes opened as she turned around to look how it was. There was an immediate frown on her face when she saw that it was Neferet.

Zhara's features immediately changed as she noticed the frown. "I am so sorry," she gasped when Neferet looked at her like that, "I have come to tell you that dinner is being served. The king and queen with Ahkmenrah are at the table," she nodded her head.

Running a hand over her face, Neferet lifted herself from the pillows. "Thank you," was all she said to Zhara as she stood over to her. When she did not move, Neferet's eyes lifted up as she then looked at her. "What?"

"I-I have to get you ready," Zhara slightly stuttered a bit, "you have to look your best."

Neferet sighed and said no more as she allowed Zhara to apply the make-up onto her. Zhara began to speak with her, saying how beautiful she was and how lucky she was to be marrying someone as great as Ahkmenrah. Neferet did not say anything at her words. She wished that Zhara would just stop talking and let her be at peace. At the sudden silence, Zhara got the message and said no more until she was finished with the makeup.

"There you go," she smiled lightly as she looked at her handiwork. She had applied lots of kohl on Neferet's eyes making them look big and mysterious with a shade of green across her eyelids. Nodding her head to Zhara, Neferet got up and walked over to where dinner was to be held. She did not know how she was going to look or even speak to Ahkmenrah after what she had just heard.

* * *

Ahkmenrah was patiently waiting for his brother and future wife to come to the table. His father was sitting at the head of the table, his mother across from him with an empty chair on her side as it reflected Ahkmenrah's side of the table. He let out a sigh, thinking how long they had to wait for Neferet and Kahmunrah to come. He had spent so much time with his father that all he wanted now was some family time and some time with his future wife.

"Oh there she is," she heard his mother's voice as she smiled when she saw her future daughter-in-law walking to the room.

Ahkmenrah turned his head when he saw Neferet, a bright smile upon his lips as he looked at her. He got up from his seat and approached Neferet, a slight blush creeping up his cheeks when he noticed how beautiful she looked. "It's so good to see you," he smiled as he gently gave her a kiss on her cheek, "you look extremely lovely."

His words were enough to make break her frown but not change her mind as she smiled to him in return. "Thank you. I am sorry for my delay."

King Merenkahre waved his hand in the air, dismissing her apology with a good enough smile as Neferet made her way to the empty chair next to Ahkmenrah. When they both sat down, Ahkmenrah gently placed his hand upon hers sending a warmth through her body as he looked at her with a smile, making her give him a smile in return.

A moment of silence passed between them until King Merenkahre slammed his hand on the table, scaring his wife, Ahkmenrah, and Neferet. "Where in Ra's name is Kahmunrah?" he grumbled. The food was all ready and warm for them and his son had the gall to be late to it all. Turning to a servant, he ordered him to find Kahmunrah and bring him to the table.

_Maybe we can start without him _Ahkmenrah wanted to say but he knew that his father would have scolded him for it. To his parents, dinnertime was an important time that they could all be together. It wasn't then until Ahkmenrah heard the footsteps of this brother and the servant come to the room. Kahmunrah stood by the doorway as the servant bowed to King Merekahre and scurried out of the room.

"Sit," his father simply said as Kahmunrah walked around the table towards the empty seat next to his mother. When he walked by the table, Neferet's eyes looked up and followed him until he was in his seat.

"Sorry for my delay," Kahmunrah nodded his head to each and every one of them to the table as he spoke.

King Merenkahre frowned at his son's words as one of the servants served them goblets with wine. The older pharaoh clutched his goblet but didn't lift it to his lips as he looked at his son. "You do this every time Kahmunrah."

"My dear," Queen Shepseheret looked at her husband, not wanting to have a feud at the table, especially when they had a guest at the table. King Merenkahre tuned his eyes to her but that wasn't enough to change his mind to scold his older son.

Kahmunrah only offered a shrug to his father. "There was something I had to take care of."

"I expect you to be here when dinner is served," King Merenkahre said to him.

He older son looked from his father as his eyes moved over to Neferet. "And...you don't expect her to be at the table on time?" he rose a brow.

Neferet felt her heart jump when his eyes were directed towards her. He had put her in a position where she felt she had done something wrong as her hand gently clenched onto Ahkmenrah as he clenched back in return.

"Leave her alone," Ahkmenrah suddenly said to his brother.

"Oh?" Kahmunrah rose a brow and chuckled, "jumping in your wife's defense? How cute."

"Enough of this!" King Merenkahre suddenly jumped in before his son's went into a brawl. "My dear," he looked at Neferet, "I apologize about this." He then looked over to Kahmunrah, his eyes hard on him.

Kahmunrah knew what he wanted to say and there was indeed no way that he could disobey him now, that would just make matters worse and Kahmunrah wanted to avoid that...for now. "My apologies," he gave Neferet a light nod of his head and looked at her with what seemed a gentle smile. She did not know whether it was a game or if he was serious about it.

Queen Shepseheret let out a sigh, her heart racing quickly. Grabbing her goblet, she sipped some of the wine and swallowed as the liquid burned down her throat and enough to calm her down and make her feel at ease. Neferet did the same with her own goblet, feeling a bit on the edge as the servants suddenly came and served the various amount of dishes that they had prepared.

As the servants filed out, the family ate in silence not really knowing what to say to each other. Neferet wanted to speak up to ask how everyone's day had been but the tension in the room was what was stopping her from asking.

The only one that seemed at ease with everything was Kahmunrah. He was eating his food as if nothing had happened and avoiding eye contact with everyone. Neferet did not realize that she was staring at him until his eyes lifted up and looked at her. He hid his smile behind the goblet that he held at hand and lifted it to his lips, taking a sip of the wine. "Yes?" he suddenly asked her.

"Nothing," Neferet quickly looked down at her plate.

Kahmunrah would have loved to have teased her on but his thoughts were suddenly broken when he heard his father beginning to cough. He whipped his head to the right and noticed his father trying to catch his breath but it come into a coughing fit.

"F-Father!" Ahkmenrah got up from his chair and ran over to his father's side putting his hand on his back.

King Merenkahre's hand made contact with the goblet as it flipped from the table and the wine spilled across the floor over to a servant's feet as they quickly made their way to their beloved pharaoh. "Help!" the queen's voice was in a shriek as she looked at her husband, "somebody help!"

"I'll go get the swnw," Kahmunrah offered as he ran out of the room.

Neferet was at a loss. Tears made their way to her eyes as she looked on towards her future father-in-law. His arms were going through muscle spasms and there was foam coming out of his mouth. She turned her head away at that and saw Kahmunrah returning with the swnw who immediately knelt down down by the king. Ahkmenrah's arms hung around his mother's neck as he looked on, tears smeared all over his face and hoped that his father was going to be better.

Though the look from the swnw's eyes scared him. "He is dead," and before Ahkmenrah knew it, his mother let out a shriek and collapsed to the floor.


	12. Chapter 12

**I don't own Night at the Museum**

* * *

Queen Shepseheret had not known had long she had been unconscious. When she awoke, she found herself surrounded by swnws, Ahkmenrah, Neferet, and many servants. The queen was short of breath as she placed her hand over her bosom as she tried to lift herself from the bed. "Mother, mother," Ahkmenrah's soft voice made it's way to her ears as she looked up to him. "You have to lie down," he gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"No," Queen Shapseheret's voice as low and hoarse as she tried to oppose her son's force upon her shoulder, "I need to be with my husband, I need to see him."

Ahkmenrah's heart broke when his mother said that. Did she not know that his father was dead? Had she been living in a dream and all of a sudden had woken up to a nightmare? Ahkmenrah loved both of his parents. His father was a strong ruler and his mother was a strong woman but seeing one of his parents gone and mother looking so vulnerable, he didn't know what to do. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. He hated seeing his mother so vulnerable. It wasn't before when Ahkmenrah felt two other arms wrapping themselves around him. Peeking up from his mother's shoulder, he saw it was Neferet that had joined. He shut his eyes and threw his arm to her, or how much he could reach her.

The amount of love that Queen Shepseheret was receiving from her son and future daughter-in-law was enough to make her feel at ease, but not enough to mend her broken heart about her husband. The woman sniffled as her mind raced back to the dining table. There had been so much tension in that room and all of sudden and after that, her husband was dead. "Thank you," her voice was soft that only Ahkmenrah heard it when she spoke.

Ahkmenrah let go of his mother and looked at Neferet as he softly held onto her hands. He had to go and find out where his brother was and he assumed that he was probably with his father's body. He knew that it had been removed from the dining room. "Please stay with mother," he gently told her, "I will go see where Kahmunrah is."

Neferet nodded her head to him as he let go of her hands and she watched him walk out of the room and into the hallways. To her, the king's sudden death was unexpected. It was obvious that someone had poisoned the wine but it was not known who the culprit was. Could it have been someone to have done it out of jealousy towards the king? But why him? Ever since Neferet had come to Cairo, he had been such a good man to her almost like a second father to her. He was not manipulative nor a tyrant but a fair man with a good heart who treated everyone in the kingdom as an equal.

The young woman leaned her head against the queen's shoulder, wanting to comfort her more as she felt a hand upon her head gently stroking her head. "I am sorry for your..." Neferet stopped and closed her eyes, "...our family's loss." Even though she had been here a week and was soon to be married, she felt like she was already a part of the family. They had made her feel so welcomed, even when she had just arrived, and it made her regret that she had been so hard headed before.

Queen Shepseheret gently smiled to her. "Thank you dear," she continued to stroke her head, "he really adored you."

That Neferet knew as a smile made it's way to her lips. He had treated her almost like a daughter even though he had spent more time with his son. "He was a good man...and a good king."

_King_ Queen Shepseheret mentally echoed that word. It was time. Time for Ahkemrnah to take his place as the Pharaoh of Cairo with Neferet by his side as the queen. This was something that her husband would have wanted after his death. He had made sure to tell her that and if he were to pass on before his son's right time, he always reassured his queen what must be done. Wiping her eyes from the tears that threatened to fall, the queen pulled herself together and looked at Neferet. Taking her hands in hers, she looked at the young princess. "It is your time."

Neferet blinked at her words in confusion as she tilted her head to the side. "My time?"

"Your time and Ahkmenrah's time to take your place to the throne as the Pharaoh and queen of Cairo," Queen Shepseheret looked at her.

A small gasp escaped from the young princess's lips as she looked at the queen with wide eyes. This had come so sudden and at a very unexpected timing. "I..." she began to speak but the queen rested a gentle hand on her shoulder, knowing that she was feeling nervous about it.

"You'll be just fine," Queen Shepseheret smiled gently to her, "just like Ahkmenrah's father taught him, I shall teach you myself."

Neferet smiled as she gave the queen's hand a squeeze. "I will make all of you proud. You, the king, and my father," she smiled to her.

To those words, Queen Shepseheret smiled to her giving her a gentle kiss on her head.

* * *

Ahkmenrah walked through the halls of the palace, his hands behind his back and his eyes glued to the floor that he walked upon. His mind was in a deep thought of what had happened. He couldn't believe that it had come to this and Ahkmenrah knew what would be awaiting him. He was going to be the king of Cairo, the king everyone looked up to. Would he be as good as his father was?

_What if I'm not ready_? his mind seemed to trail down a lot to that sentence. He had paid attention to every detail that his father had told him. His tutors had even told his father that he was ready to be the next pharaoh, but Ahkmenrah did not know why he was lacking sudden confidence. He even knew that he was going to be ruling without any supervision from his father eventually but this...it felt so sudden and very stressful.

His ears suddenly pricked up as he heard a familiar voice coming down the hallways. "I want him mummified straight away and the proper funeral for my father. No one shall stop until the culprit who did this to my father is found." That lisp was all too familiar to him and it sounded very angry. However, that did not stop Ahkemenrah from walking over to the room where his brother was.

He knocked upon the door of the room as one of the servants opened it. "Your Highness," he bowed as he opened the door wider for him. Ahkmenrah slowly walked into the room, his eyes roaming around to the servants and then upon his brother who held onto a goblet filled with wine. Kahmunrah lifted his head from the ground and made eye contact with his brother.

Ahkmenrah noticed that his brother's eyes were wet and red possibly due to him crying, which Ahkmenrah found highly unlikely, or from the fact that he had gone through too much alcohol consumption, which Ahkmenrah found highly likely.

"Leave us," Kahmunrah waved his hand in the air as the servants bowed to them in unison and scurried out of the room. Kahmunrah put his goblet on the table and rested the palms of his hands upon the wooden furniture. "What do you want?" his voice was hoarse and a bit slurred.

"I came to see how you were," Ahkmenrah looked at his older brother. This was indeed true, he did care very much about his well being no matter how far apart they had drifted.

A slight scoff escaped from Kahmunrah's lips as he looked away to the right side of the room. "That's new," he said as his voice lingered with bitterness and hate, though he tried not to show it but the alcohol was not allowing that.

Ahkmenrah frowned at his brother's response. Now was _not _the time to be acting like this. "Oh stop it Kahmunrah," Ahkmenrah's voice came out in a snap, surprising Kahmunrah as well. "What have I ever done to you?"

"What have you-what have you..." Kahmunrah's voice came out softly but then a chuckle was heard. He composed himself from it and looked over to his brother. "Why, you have certainly done nothing to me...nothing at all," he shook his head to him.

Ahkmenrah was taken off guard by all of this. If he did nothing then why in the world had their brotherly relationship taken off in this direction. Ahkmenrah did not believe that he had done nothing. There was something that Kahmunrah was holding a grudge against him but he didn't know what it was. "You know you can talk to me about anything brother," Ahkmenrah gently said to him.

"And what we be doing?" Kahmunrah held up his hands, "braid each other's hair after?" he scoffed as he took another sip of his wine before placing it back down on the table. "I have nothing to speak to you about."

"Then why do you look at me like I am the scarab of the desert?" Ahkmenrah asked.

_That's because you are _Kahmunrah thought but decided not to voice his opinion towards his brother. "You're probably lacking on some sleep. Your mind is playing tricks on you. We are family...brother," he said the word like it was poison.

"And family must tell one another what's bother them," Ahkmenrah answered back.

_Why you insolent scarab_ Kahmunrah bitterly thought as his hand clenched upon the base of the goblet. He knew that his brother was not going to let it go but in any case, he was willing to change his brother's mind. Pushing the goblet away, he opened his arms over to Ahkmenrah. "Come here...brother."

Ahkmenrah looked at his brother's sudden open arms, a brow raised as he then looked up at him. "What?" he asked.

"Can't you give your older brother a hug?" Kahmunrah asked him.

At that, Ahkmenrah took a step back. This was getting too strange for the young pharaoh for it had been so long since they last hugged and his brother was not alright from all of the drinking. "I hope you feel better," Ahkmenrah declined his brother's offer with a nod of his head, "may father's soul remain in peace." With that Ahkmenrah walked out of the room.

Anger was surging through Kahmunrah's veins once his younger brother walked out. How did he have the nerve to face him after what had happened? Kahmunrah knew that he only came here to know what was to happen to his father's body! To know who the culprit was! He clenched the goblet and flung it across the room. The golden object hit the wall, spilling wine everywhere on the floor as the goblet clattered to the floor.

Kahmunrah was not going to reveal the to anyone. He knew who it was. It would all be too much of a surprise for every single one of them and it was going to be quite the delicious reveal.

Another knock was heard at the door as Kahmunrah turned his head and looked at it. "Who is it?" he asked.

"Neferet," the voice came from the doorway.

His eyes opened wide as he picked up the goblet from the floor and tried to find something to wipe the wine off the floor. There was nothing to be found so he just stood by the puddle and pretended to look forlorn about what had happened. "Come in."

The door opened as he saw the young princess's slim figure walk into the room. Kahmunrah carefully studied her features and it looked like she had been crying. The dark kohl had been slightly smudged and her eyes were red.

Neferet took a deep shaky breath as she looked up to Kahmunrah. "I am so sorry about your father's death."

Kahmunrah looked at her, giving her a soft nod of his head. "Thank you my dear," he said to her.

"It had happened so suddenly," Neferet shook her head.

_Yes I was there _he thought but nodded his head once more. "It really was. The bastard who did it."

"I-I can't imagine what you're going through...what you're whole family is going through." It wasn't until she approached him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug.

_What the..._ was Kahmunrah's initial thoughts as she had flung herself onto him. The two did have a bit of a rocky relationship from the start but this...this was very different coming from her. Just like that, he held her close and wrapped his strong arms around her slim frame. To him, it seemed like the hug had lasted a bit too long but it was all working well enough for him.

It was Neferet who finally let go of him and he did the same. When she did, he wiped that smirk off his face and ran a hand over his face. "I hope that you feel better," Neferet gave a gentle squeeze on his shoulder as she looked at him.

"I hope so," he nodded his head to her, "but I wouldn't mind some company."

Neferet's eyes winded at his offer. She had to be with Ahkmenrah and his mother but it wouldn't be fair to also let another member of the family alone. "Why don't you join us?" she offered.

However, Kahmunrah shook his head. "No, no. I need some time alone to...gather myself before I face them. I cannot stand to see my mother crying and my brother so distraught."

Neferet nodded her head at his words. "I understand. If you need anything..." she began.

"I shall be fine," Kahmunrah held his hand up to her.

With one last nod of her head, Neferet have him one last lingering look before she walked out of the room, leaving the oldest brother of the family alone.


End file.
